AJN in July: Opioids and Chronic Pain, Moral Distress, Prediabetes, More

CE Feature: “Appropriate Use of Opioids in Managing Chronic Pain.”

Unintentional death related to prescription opioids has been identified as a public health crisis, owing in part to such factors as insufficient professional training and medication overprescription, misuse, and diversion. The authors discuss current best practices for prescribing opioids for chronic pain, emphasizing patient assessment and essential patient teaching points regarding safe medication use, storage, and disposal, and after you find a more permanent solution people could totally quit opioids by using a detox methods that goes from medicine to even a detox tea like leptinteatox. There are some medicines or supplements that are more easy to use, depending on the problem, like the peruvian brew, that helps with erectile dysfunction and is pretty safe. After that you only need to be careful with stds diseases you can go and test at https://www.stdaware.com/chlamydia-test.

CE Feature: “Moral Distress: A Catalyst in Building Moral Resilience.”

Moral distress is a pervasive problem in nursing: an inability to act in alignment with one’s moral values is detrimental not only to the nurse’s well-being but also to patient care and clinical practice as […]

2017-05-26T00:08:51-04:00June 24th, 2016|career, health care policy, Nursing, nursing research, pain management, Patients|0 Comments
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Patients Change Us: A Formative Nursing Experience

From boliston, via Flickr From boliston, via Flickr

Many years ago, I was given the greatest gift by a patient who had no idea he would change my life and define my professional outlook as a nurse. While not every nurse will be fortunate enough to have such an explicit experience of the effect of the care they provide so early in their career, I believe that each patient you come in contact with is changing your life as much as you are changing theirs.

Quantity of Care vs. Quality of Care

Nursing has evolved into a highly technical profession grounded in scientific evidence, a profession that works to improve patient outcomes and shorten hospital stays. Research and technology support this work in innumerable ways.

But while nurses must be technical experts, drug experts, and efficiency experts, they must also do their best to alleviate the suffering of those in their charge. These many concurrent demands can result in high burnout rates among nurses as well as fragmented care for patients.

The quantity of care today’s nurse provides must go hand in hand with the quality of care. My own definition of quality care is focusing on patients as more than just a set of signs, symptoms, numbers, and processes in need of monitoring and adjustment. Recognizing patients […]

2016-11-21T13:01:07-05:00June 22nd, 2016|career, Nursing, nursing perspective, nursing stories, patient experience|1 Comment
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Food is Medicine: An Oncology Nurse’s Lunch Break Walk

IMG_3900 (002)On a beautiful spring day I took a walk during my lunch break through the urban neighborhood surrounding the hospital, wishing for a convenient place to buy a piece of fruit.

I discovered, as if conjured, a vintage trolley tucked in a driveway between medical office buildings. A table laden with apples, carrots, potatoes, and leafy greens leaned against it, creating the ambience of an open-air market. Charmed, and curious about its purpose, I climbed the two steps into the trolley.

Inside, a refrigerated case contained meats and dairy products. The walls were lined with shelves containing packaged goods such as bulgur, brown rice, beans, and more fresh fruits and vegetables. I plucked an orange, noticing it was priced by the piece, not by the pound.

I had multiple questions for the clerk as I handed her a quarter to pay for the orange.

A food prescription program.

The trolley, it turned out, is a mobile grocery store in partnership with the hospital, piloting a “food prescription” program. It arrives weekly, traveling to other sites the rest of the week. Cash, cards, and food stamps are accepted. Outside, a caseworker seated on a camp chair gave food vouchers to qualified customers below a specific income level. A dietician also provided budgeting assistance, with tips on healthy food choices and simple […]

2017-07-17T14:20:55-04:00June 17th, 2016|Nursing, nursing perspective, patient engagement, Public health|2 Comments
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When Patients Ask About Palliative Chemotherapy

Photo © Associated Press. Photo © Associated Press.

Nurses repeatedly witness the suffering of people with advanced, metastasized cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy. These drugs often seem to diminish rather than enhance the quality of the remaining weeks of their lives.

In the first article in a new AJN series on palliative care, author Marianne Matzo points to research indicating that chemotherapy in end-stage cancer does more harm than good. So what should we do when patients ask (as in this article), “Is the chemotherapy going to help me? And if it’s not, why are they offering it?”  […]

2016-11-21T13:01:08-05:00June 14th, 2016|Nursing, patient engagement, patient experience|1 Comment
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Orlando: Another Reminder of Public Health Measures Not Taken

Mary_Magdalene_Crying_StatueOnce again, we’re reading about a mass shooting—this one the deadliest so far, with 50 dead in a nightclub in Orlando, Florida. We’ve learned that the alleged shooter, born in the United States to immigrant parents, appears to have been volatile and prone to angry outbursts.

He’d made threats about killings months earlier, according to news reports of interviews with coworkers and family members. Reports also indicate that he professed a hatred of gays and, during the attack, pledged allegiance to the radical Islamic terrorist group ISIS. He had been investigated by the FBI at earlier dates in conjunction with suspected terrorist activities.

And also once again, we learn that the guns, including an assault-style semiautomatic rifle*, were purchased legally. Assault rifles like the one used in Orlando are often used by mass shooters. Assault weapons had once been banned—but when the ban expired in 2004, it was not renewed by Congress, nor does it seem likely to be. […]

2016-11-21T13:01:08-05:00June 13th, 2016|nursing perspective, Public health|3 Comments
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